Racing Club hopes for no news headlines

COMMENT
PAKENHAM Racing Club – and more so the administrators and promoters of racing in Victoria – will be hoping the sport isn’t even mentioned next Sunday night and Monday morning.
Why? Because in this case, as they say in the classics, no news is good news – and not a word in the national, and even international media, on Pakenham’s Super Jumps Sunday will be just that.
What happens in the first three of eight races at Pakenham on Sunday will not make jumps racing – but it could break it.
Whether horses should be allowed to jump hurdles and steeples is the hottest talking point in Australian sport. It’s even more stormy an issue than salary caps in football codes.
There will probably be anti-jumps protesters at Pakenham on Sunday. Many say they should be shot on sight – or, at best, not allowed trackside.
In my humble opinion, they have as much right to be there as Bart Cummings, or the connections of the jumpers/steeplers do – provided they don’t cross the line, so to speak.
Make no mistake, it’s not a matter of if, rather when, the protesters eventually win the ongoing and emotional debate: to jump or not to jump.
People who are passionate about a cause should be admired, respected, or, at least, listened to, for their opinions. Provided, again, they act within the rules.
That goes for both sides of any heated debate.
The pro-jumping corner say much will be lost if their game is banned – especially the livelihood many make from the sport.
The same can be said of hundreds of workers in a factory if a big company decides to close its doors, but somehow employees seem to survive.
Sure, racehorses are not only fined-tuned athletes, they are looked after. In many cases, they are like an only child – spoilt rotten.
And, as many argue, they were bred to race. It’s what they love, what they are best at.
The anti-jumps corner just don’t believe they should be put at an increased risk to their welfare by jumping.
Sadly, in this war of words, horses aren’t the only ones who wear blinkers. Comments from both sides of a debate can do likewise. It’s ignorance, and not accepting the opinions of others.
After a near faultless opening day of jumping at the recent world-famous Warrnambool carnival, Racing Victoria chief executive Rob Hines, on the absence of vocal protesters, was quoted as saying: “There’s nothing to protest about anyway”.
Fair dinkum, mate.
Come the last day of the carnival and Mr Hines would have felt decidedly more uncomfortable. There was a death, numerous falls and rowdy protesters.
At least well-respected trainer Robert Smerdon was level-headed when he observed after his star jumper Some Are Bent won: “I can cope with them getting beat, as long as they get around safely. Nobody wants to see horses get hurt”.
There are 63 jumps races worth $2,336,000 at 20 meetings in Victoria this season.
There is a jumps review panel which is reviewing all jump races and trials in 2010 and making comments on each horse.
Whatever they say will not bring Sirrocean Storm back to life. He died at Warrnambool.
But they may have helped Baker Heart, who led for the first half of the first race at the ’Bool before weakening.
The five-man jumps panel banned him from racing again until he was more competitive in trials. Trainer Lyn Tolson didn’t bother, instead retiring Baker Heart immediately.
The anti-jumps folk would be wishing there were more Lyn Tolsons around.
For us fence-sitters in this debate, we’re hoping the 11,800 metres (3600m each race) of the $15,00 Maiden Hurdle, $40,000 M.J. Bourke Hurdle and the $75,000 Great Southern Steeplechase on Sunday will be incident-free.
Otherwise, the history-filled Pakenham track, with closure hanging over its neck, may well be remembered for heartache rather than honour.

Hoofnote: Peter Sweeney has won national awards for his coverage of thoroughbreds and harness racing in WA. His late uncle, Pat Sweeney, was a long-time committeeman at Pakenham and raced horses, including Saboli and Moving Cloud, winners over the jumps.